(please forgive my lousy formatting)

Firstly, regarding your two Revolutionary War songs: Yankee Doodle Dandy is actually from before the war, around the mid-1700s. Reportedly being sung by British officers taunting dishevelled American soldiers during the Seven Years War - with different lyrics of course. The words of this song were changed throughout the course of history to include many variations, such as the one we know most familiarly today. As for the Star-Spangled Banner, the lyrics for this (Francis Scott Key's poem "Defence of Fort McHenry") were not written until 1814, based on events in 1812. These lyrics are sung over the British tune The Anacreontic Song . I think you'll agree, upon hearing this, that it actually does sound British, now that you think about it... So neither of these seems to cut the mustard.

If you haven't already noticed, both of these well known "American" songs are based on English ones (I'm looking at you 'My Country 'tis of Thee AKA God Save The Queen/King). At this point in US history, people were more concerned with surviving and working then writing music. The US simply wasn't equipped yet to partake heavily in the Arts. Indeed, what is said to be the country's first original style of music wasn't until Jazz music came along in the early 20th century (although this is overlooking Native American music). Hence, popular songs of the time were commonly British ones, or rewritten British tunes. Another reason for this includes the fact that simply re-wording previously written songs makes retention much easier... Not to mention, to an extent symbolic, if you can picture re-wording a British song to be making fun of them/bragging about your own victory in battle over them etc.

• Having said that, the songs: Speaking of 'My Country 'Tis of Thee'... The original English God Save the King [or Queen, depending on who is in power, in this case, King] became "Hail O America" in 1776: "Hail O America! Hail now the joyful day..." etc. became "God Save America" in 1778: "God save America, Free from despotic ways..." etc. and finally My Country 'Tis Of Thee in 1831.

• This is a 1770 hymn by William Billings called Chester. As part of his larger collection called "The New England Palm-Singer). This is (cleverly) both a patriotic and religious song, thus ensuring its wide publication by none other than Paul Revere - thus making it political as well: "Billings as a self-trained, self-reliant composer whose parents had come to the New World in search of religious freedom, and a man who saw class structure as fluid, changing and challengeable was the embodiment of what the America Revolution stood for" Incidentally, the opening lines are

Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And Slav'ry clank her galling chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England's God forever reigns

By making it appear as though God is directly involved in their plans, some have interpreted this as a precursor to rhetoric used in Manifest Destiny.

Sources: * Colonial Nationalism in the Music of William Billings . Joshua Armenta . The Choral Journal, Vol. 52, No. 3 (OCTOBER 2011), pp. 6-14.* * Songs with Social Significance: An Introduction Mariana Whitmer. OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 19, No. 4, Teaching History with Music (Jul., 2005), pp. 9-16, 22*

Please forgive my interchanging use of "British" and "English"